Bears teammates offer support for mourning Urlacher
Brian Urlacher practiced again Friday and will play Sunday after attending funeral services in Lovington, New Mexico, for his mother, Lavoyda Lenard, who died unexpectedly on Monday.
Teammates were glad to have him back the past two days, and they hoped that being among the support system of his football family and then being able to play a game Sunday would be therapeutic.
“Football is the only sport where you can physically beat a man and not get taken to jail,” nose tackle Anthony Adams said. “You can let out all your aggressions on somebody and just leave it out on the field.”
Urlacher's absence from Wednesday's practice left a void on the field and in the locker room, according to teammates and coaches.
“Him not being on the field is like the Beatles breaking up or something,” Adams said. “Like the calls he gives us up front, it just didn't seem like it was the right call because it wasn't his voice.”
Mighty mite:At 5-feet-9, 180 pounds, nickel cornerback D.J. Moore doesn't look as if he'd be too intimidating as a pass rusher, but his pressure on a blitz preceded Brian Urlacher's Week 1 interception.#8220;Just looking at D.J. you wouldn't assume he would be a guy that they would fear as far as blitzing is concerned,#8221; coach Lovie Smith said. #8220;But he does have a knack for slipping a block. He has a good pass rush move and a counter, so whenever you're talking about a guy having a counter move, you have to at least respect him a little bit as a pass rusher. He did get good pressure on that play.#8221;Moore had 1 sack last season to go with 4 interceptions.#8220;A base part of what we do defensively with our nickel package is to bring the nickel from time to time on different rushes, and he did it well,#8221; Smith said. #8220;D.J., throughout the time he's played, has found a way to make big plays for us and hopefully it will continue.#8221;Sharing the wealth:Nine different receivers caught passes from Jay Cutler last week, which should be a common occurrence this season in an offense that doesn't have nor require a go-to target.#8220;We talked about it before in training camp of not really having a No. 1 guy in this offense,#8221; Cutler said. #8220;You don't really need one because it's going to be by committee; everyone's going to get to touch the ball. I don't know where it's going to go until I'm three, four, five steps into the drop, and the coverage really dictates itself. So those guys are ready. They always know that their number could be called at any time.#8221;It's getting deep:Defensive tackle Henry Melton didn't really have anything prepared, celebration wise, when he got 2 sacks in the season opener #8212; So he's been working on that, and he's gotten some input.#8220;It's not working out too well right now,#8221; he said. #8220;Someone said, #8216;Act like you're eating a deep dish (pizza).' I love me some deep dish, so I might try to work that out.#8221;It was suggested that 6-foot, 310-pound nose tackle Anthony Adams, a big eater and well-known dancer, could help, drawing a laugh from Melton who said, #8220;Nah, #8216;Double-A' would just order a deep dish and eat it.#8221;Injury update:Guard Lance Louis (ankle), safety Chris Harris (hamstring) and running back Marion Barber (calf) did not practice Friday and were listed as #8220;doubtful#8221; on the injury report. They are not expected to play Sunday.Wide receiver Roy Williams (groin) was limited, but defensive end Corey Wootton (knee) went through a full practice. Both were listed as #8220;questionable.#8221; Cornerback Zack Bowman (hamstring) and wide receiver Sam Hurd (ankle) were probable after full practices.For the Saints, wide receiver Marques Colston and kicker Garrett Hartley are out, wide receiver Lance Moore, safety Roman Harper, defensive tackle Tom Johnson and cornerback Tracy Porter are questionable. Moore and Harper were limited at practice, while Johnson and Porter did not practice. #376; Follow Bob's Bears reports via Twitter @Bob LeGere and check out our Bear Essentials blog at dailyherald.com.